Department of Criminal Law and Criminalistics

Department of Criminal Law and Criminalistics  at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of  Lodz , fulfils the tasks set out in § 98(1) of the University Statute. The Department’s academic team comprises twelve members: one full professor, four associate professors of the University of Lodz, and seven assistant professors. In addition, a group of doctoral students – both full-time and part-time – are pursuing their dissertations. The Department brings together both legal scholars and practitioners, including judges of the Supreme Court and common courts, a prosecutor, advocates, adjudicators of the Local Government Appeals Board in Lodz , and trainee lawyers.

The Department’s research covers the field of criminal procedure in its broadest sense, encompassing criminal proceedings, fiscal criminal law, petty offences law, proceedings in petty offences cases, as well as forensic science – with particular attention to firearms, cannabis, drug-related crime, and forensic medicine. The outcomes of this research are published in monographs and scholarly articles. Members of the Department’s team are also authors of the System of Criminal Procedure Law, legal commentaries, textbooks, and supplementary teaching materials such as case studies and tests. Staff members regularly participate in national and international academic conferences. 

The Department provides teaching in the following subjects: Criminal Procedure, Fiscal Criminal Law, Petty Offences Law, Proceedings before the International Criminal Court, Forensic Science, Forensic Medicine, Criminology and Victimology, Sentencing Policy, Fundamental Principles of Criminal Prosecution, From Arrest to Enforcement of Penalty, Proceedings in Cases of Petty Offences Concerning Labour Law, Fundamentals of Environmental Law and Forensic Science (Faculty of Chemistry, UŁ), as well as the English-language course Introduction to Criminal Law. At the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, courses have also been delivered on crime scene investigation and on forensic and procedural aspects of experts and specialists.

Courses are offered in both full-time and part-time (evening and weekend) modes, including  lectures, discussion classes, methodological classes, workshops, Master  seminars and laboratories. Teaching methods encompass moot court simulations and legal writing  workshops on drafting criminal cases procedural documents. Also, a specialized laboratory for forensic and medical aspects of evidence operates within the Department.

The Department hosts two student research associations: the Criminal Procedure Law Association and the Forensics Association, which provide students with opportunities for academic and organizational engagement.

The Department has a long tradition of running postgraduate studies, some of which are on regular offer , while others were organized  in c ooperation with external stakeholders. The thematic areas include Fiscal Criminal Law, the New Model of Criminal Proceedings, Psychiatry and Psychology for Judges, and Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology. The Department’s academic staff also contribute to postgraduate programmes offered by other units of the University.

The Department has organized and co-organized numerous academic conferences,  including two National Conferences of Criminal Procedure Departments .  The first, held in 2011 under the theme “Functions of the Criminal Process”, combined with the celebration of Professor Janusz Tylman’s 60 years of academic and teaching activity; and the second was  held in 2019 under the theme “Quo vadit processus criminalis? Criminal Procedure in the Broad Sense – Reality and Challenges”, dedicated to Professor Tomasz Grzegorczyk on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

Among  other notable conferences include there are : “Employee Control – Technical Possibilities and Legal Dilemmas” (2008, jointly with the Department of Labour Law), “Searching for Missing Persons” (2009), “Threats Related to Euro 2012” (2010), “Human Remains as an Object of Forensic Research” (2012), and three editions of “Police Cold Case Archives” (2015, 2016, 2018), organized in cooperation with the National Police Headquarters, the National Prosecutor’s Office, and the Lodz Provincial Police Headquarters. In January 2021, the Department co-organized the international conference “CannActive.Science – Science, Medicine or Business.” In 2016, the Department hosted the scientific conference “Criminal Procedure, Fiscal Criminal Law and Petty Offences Law after the Amendments of 2015–2016. Academic Conference in Memory of Professor Monika Zbrojewska”, dedicated to the memory of our late Colleague.